Effect of (2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-N-phenylurea (CPPU) on artemisinin production in hairy root culture of <i>Artemisia annua</i> L

Abstract

Enhancement of artemisinin content in hairy root culture was investigated by using plant bioregulator in order to provide other alternative sources of artemisinin production besides the field grown plants. Synthetic cytokinin at different concentration: 1 mg L^-1 (4 μM), 2.5 mg L^-1 (10 μM) and 5 mg L^-1 (20 μM) in the form of (2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-N-phenylurea (CPPU) was applied to culture media after 10 days of subculture. Artemisinin content was measured at different exposure periods (0, 24, 48, and 72 h). Our result shows that the highest artemisinin content was observed from hairy root that was treated with 5 mg L^-1 (20 μM) of CPPU for 72 h which were about 3 folds higher than that of non-treated culture.

Keywords: Artemisia annua L., hairy root, artemisinin, bioregulator